House, Skins, Yes, Minister (Reply)

I have recently discovered that Hugh Laurie and David Strathairn will be locked in a room together in a future episode of House. Actually, maybe I should word that statement like this: two of the three amazingly talented over-fifty actors with great big soulful eyes that I lust after like there's no tomorrow are going to be shoved in a room together for an episode of House. Squee!

I watched the first episode of series three of Skins. Sadly, I didn't find the new crowd particularly endearing. Worst bit was the writers having Cook, who is like an annoying cross between Tony and Chris minus their redeeming features, torching Sid's old locker. Not exactly the best move if the writers want me to like this guy, or not be at all bitter about their being no more Sid. I haven't given up of the idea of watching series three, but it may take some time.

What I have been successfully watching the show for which Margaret Thatcher allegedly wrote fanfic: Yes, Minister. Of course, I spent the entire time comparing and contrasting it with The Thick of It. Given the very similar set-ups of the two shows its hard not too.

It's actually quite fascinating not only comparing the political changes (Yes, Minster's all about the minister vs. the civil service with the media not that much of a focus, whereas TTOI is more the minister vs. the spin doctor/PM's all-powerful enforcer with the media having the characters constantly under siege, sometimes literally) but also how sitcoms have changed over the years (the very scripted, studio, Yes, Minister which could almost be a radio play and sticks to the genre, vs TTOI which tries to appear as unscripted as possible, with roaming camera work which allows for more visual humour and occasionally breaks out of it's genre and takes a turn for the dramatic).

Really, the best points of comparison are Party Games and Spinners and Losers in which both shows take on the storyline of the PM resigning and the search for a successor, which with Yes, Minister is carefully orchestrated and takes place over the course of a week or so, whereas in the latter TTOI episode it takes place over the course of one night and has the characters running around like headless chickens trying to correct or take advantage of the heir apparent's 'wobble' in support.

Comparisons aside, Yes, Minister, is freaking hilarious, and age doesn't seem to have affected it much at all. I haven't got around to watching Yes, Prime Minister yet though. I've actually just started on the first series of Star Trek: DS9.

Oh, and if there was an epic show down between Sir Humphrey and Malcolm Tucker, my money would be on Malcolm. Not just because he's far nastier (I'm sure Sir Humphrey would not take well to being shoved into a wall by an oxbridge-detesting Scot and instructed that if he doesn't do x immediately, he will have his balls chopped off and then preserved in a jar to be displayed in the lobby as an example for the rest of the civil service), but because Malcolm doesn't explain his schemes to underlings (it actually makes for far more compelling viewing that way as well).